Taiwan’s pension system strength ranking beats Japan’s! It is the world champion. Europe accounts for 6 of the top 10

Taiwan’s pension system strength ranking beats Japan’s.

Which countries will have the best overall pension system strength in 2026? The Netherlands ranks first in the 2026 pension rankings with 85.8 points; Singapore ranks fourth in Asia and Australia ranks sixth globally. Taiwan ranks 37th, beating Japan which ranks 39th.

Visual Capitalis evaluates 55 retirement income systems around the world based on the Marsh CFA Institute 2026 Global Pension Index. Each pension system is assessed on three dimensions: adequacy (40%), sustainability (35%) and integrity (25%). Together, these indicators assess retirement benefits, long-term financial resilience and the quality of pension governance.

Rather than comparing individual pension payments, the rankings assess the overall strength of each retirement system, including coverage, savings, sustainability and governance.

The Netherlands, Denmark and Iceland rank among the top three

The Netherlands ranked first in the world with a score of 85.8, followed by Denmark with a score of 84.1, and Iceland ranked third with a score of 84.0. All three countries received an A rating, reflecting their good retirement benefits, financial sustainability and governance.

Denmark leads the world in pension sustainability, while the Netherlands ranks in the top three for both pension adequacy and sustainability. Sweden, Finland and Norway also feature in the top ten, highlighting the strong performance of Nordic pension systems.

Finland and Norway perform particularly well on integrity, which measures the quality of pension regulation, governance and transparency. However, there are significant differences in the performance of European countries: Italy ranks 41st, with a score of 57.4 points; Türkiye ranks 54th, with a score of 46.6 points.

Singapore, Israel and Australia join the A-level group

Singapore ranked fourth in the world with a score of 82.0, Israel ranked fifth with a score of 81.9, and Australia ranked sixth with a score of 80.6. All three countries received an A grade, joining the Netherlands, Denmark and Iceland in the index's highest tier.

Singapore stands out for its strong governance, with an integrity score of 90.4, among the highest in the index. Its retirement system relies heavily on mandatory savings from the Central Provident Fund to help workers accumulate retirement assets throughout their careers.

Australia will also enter Group A in 2026. Its mandatory pension system requires employers to contribute to employees' retirement savings, helping them build assets over their careers.

Taiwan ranks 37th with a score of 59.7. Japan ranks 39th with 58 points.

There is a huge gap in retirement security in the Americas, with the United States ranking 33rd

Chile ranks first in the Americas and seventh globally with a score of 79.2. Its strong performance is aided by an integrity score of 88.2, which reflects the strength of its pension governance and regulatory framework.

The United States ranks 33rd globally, far behind Mexico (16th) and Canada (18th). Its score is 61.6 points, nearly 18 points lower than Chile.

The United States received a C+ rating, with relatively low scores on sustainability (57.1) and integrity (60.2) dragging down the overall rating. The U.S. retirement system combines social security, employer-provided retirement plans, and personal savings, so life after retirement depends largely on employment experience and personal savings.

Argentina ranks 55th with a score of 43.7 points, which puts it at the bottom of the global rankings.